Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The straight answer to the Deputy’s last question is “Yes”. The Government has confidence in the Office of the Planning Regulator and in the individual referred to by the Deputy. The role of the Office of the Planning Regulator is clear. This office ensures that county development plans, as they are developed, are consistent with national planning framework. If mistakes are made and there are legal challenges, then that is why we have a court system. I do not want to go in to the detail of the particular court judgment referred to by the Deputy but if mistakes were made there, then we need to learn from them. The principle of having a planning regulator, however, which ensures that we have consistency across the country in how we plan for and pursue development into the future is a good one.

Countries need national planning frameworks which set the guidelines and parameters within which the local authorities work in how they plan in a sustainable way for how we live and move around, and the infrastructure that is needed to facilitate that.

There will always be tension and challenges when there is disagreement, and that happened here. I am very familiar with the case referred to by the Deputy but it does not call into question, in as fundamental a way as the Deputy is suggesting, the role of the Office of the Planning Regulator. The planning regulator has a difficult job to do and sometimes it is not a popular one. He, of course, needs to be transparent about how he makes his decisions and has to be consistent with planning law and other legislation. His office’s relationship with the local authorities is an important one, so that we have consistency across the country from all local authorities in our national planning framework. It is the role obviously of the Minister and his Department to ensure we get that balance right.

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